Two Mistakes: Him and Her
by Hikari.Spencer
Summary: She ran away from her family, and he was abandoned by his. How ironic that they ended up under the same roof...
1. Chapter 1

_A __**mistake**__._

_That's what you are, all that you can __**ever**__ be, you disgusting little __**bitch**__._

_Look at yourself._

_Just seeing you makes me __**gag**__._

_It's __**your**__ fault that your mother is dead._

_You __**killed**__ her._

_She committed suicide __**because of **__**you**__._

* * *

The storm was bad, and it was only getting worse as the bitter night progressed. Rain hurtled down from the dark clouds like bullets, smashing to the ground with such force that droplets were propelled in all directions due to the impact. The gale-force wind was turning everything it touched to ice. The only sound louder than the crash of water meeting concrete was the occasional rumbles of thunder in the sky.

Roxas pulled his coat tighter to his body in an attempt to warm himself up as he walked slowly down the street towards his house. It was a pointless thing to do, since both he and his clothes were completely sodden due to the frozen water that threw itself at him without mercy, but he did it nether-the-less. Why had he even bothered staying so late after school? All he'd done was spend 4 hours with his head on the desk. In truth, Roxas hadn't wanted to go home. His house was large and well furnished, but he was always struck with a sense of loneliness as soon as he entered the neatly-painted front door to find that nobody was there to welcome him.

Battling against the wind, it took Roxas a few more minutes until he was finally outside of his house. He squinted painfully against the downpour at the large, lifeless building in front of him. Sighing gently to himself, he went to take a step onto the path leading to the house-

Only to have a small figure hurtle around the corner of the street and collide painfully with his chest.

The person was thrown back by the force and fell to the ground, where they immediately sat up and rubbed their head as though in pain. Roxas felt surprise shiver through him as his mind caught up with what had just happened. Looking down, he saw that whoever had run into him, they were clad in an over-sized, hooded jacket and a pair of equally over-sized jeans. Their face was covered by the large hood and Roxas' eyebrow rose slightly when he noticed that their feet were completely bare. Whoever it was, they were even more battered from the weather than he was.

Roxas simply watched, all good manners lost for a second, as the person froze all movements before whipping up their head to look behind them. Apparently, they'd forgotten Roxas was there. Then, scrambling clumsily, they practically threw themselves onto their feet and tried to run again. However, the person had taken barely a step before their legs gave way and they went crashing to the ground once more.

Thankfully, Roxas had regained his senses by then and caught them before they hit the concrete. As his body made contact with theirs, he knew immediately that it was a girl from the breasts that momentarily made contact with his chest. He shook the realisation quickly out of his mind as the girl struggled in his arms to stand up once more. He felt her weak, trembling hands grab his in an attempt to lift herself, but within seconds she didn't even have the strength to do that. Her small form was rapidly getting heavier and Roxas could only watch shakily as a small, pale hand snaked around his neck, gently pulling his head down to the girls' hooded face. He let her, completely confused about what was happening, and tried to ignore the slight heat in his cheeks as he felt warm, quick breath on his ear. It was hard to hear her above the noise of the storm, since she was so quiet, but Roxas knew what she said.

"Help me."

With those two words, the girls arm went limp and he felt her body fall into him. Slightly panicking and completely unsure what to do, Roxas decided that the first thing he should do was take her inside and dry her off. The girl was light, worryingly so, and it didn't take much effort – if any at all - for Roxas to pick her up and carry her up the path to his house. He opened the door within seconds and stepped inside, before switching on the light and shutting the door behind them.

"_Now_ what?" Roxas muttered, looking down at the still hooded girl in his arms. Taking a deep breath, he calculating a list of what needed to be done; Roxas nodded to himself and carried her upstairs. He took her into his bedroom and placed her silently onto his own bed, where he looked down at her unconscious form. It was then that he leant down and slowly removed her hood, before his entire body froze in both horror and awe.

The girls face was completely battered. One of her eyes was swollen and dark purple, a large cut to the side of it still bleeding heavily. Her lip was split, and even now the dark red liquid dribbled down her chin from her mouth and gathered in the corners of her lips. There were numerous bruises and grazes along her forehead and cheeks.

But despite all the wounds, Roxas couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was.

The skin that was unharmed was pale and clear. Her good eye had long, dark eyelashes and despite how small she was, she appeared to be around his own age. Roxas felt something twist in his stomach, and immediately ignored it as he stood up and hurried to the bathroom where he kept his medical supplies. He returned within seconds with a damp cloth, bandages, plasters and a glass of water with some aspirin.

"What _happened_ to you…?" Roxas muttered quietly as he cleaned the blood away from her face. It took a good ten minutes or so, but once her face was clean and patched up, he noticed that both of them were still soaked and shivering. He felt another knot in his stomach as he realised he would have to change her clothes.

Gently, Roxas sat the girl up and began peeling off her jacket. When it was off, what he saw immediately made anger boil inside of him, until his ocean-blue eyes darkened considerably and his mouth curled into a snarl. Her entire torso was covered in injuries like the ones on her face. Her simple strap top had been ripped into rags, and wherever skin showed there was blood.

Roxas ripped off the tattered remains of the girls' top, barely aware that this left her torso in nothing but a simple black bra, and felt his blood boil as he mentally counted how many cuts, bruises and other signs of abuse littered her skin. A low hiss slipped past his lips as he began to clean her wounds once more. It took him almost an hour, and by the time he had finished bandaging most of the damage he felt like murdering the bastard who had hurt her. It scared him, feeling so protective over a complete stranger, but something about the girl made him feel that he had to protect her. Maybe it was the fact that she'd been beaten half to death.

Roxas left her side briefly to rummage through his wardrobe. He found one of his T-shirts for her to wear, and quickly – being careful of her battered skin – put it on her limp form. It fell to her knees. Next, he held his breath as he peeled off her sodden jeans, but let out a sigh of relief to find them free of any blood or injuries. He then placed the damp cloth on her forehead, and the aspirin and water on the table beside her.

"You're gonna feel like **hell** when you wake up." Roxas sighed, addressing the unconscious girl with pity. He placed a blanket over her and left the room, walking downstairs and into the living room. He threw himself onto the sofa and held his head in his hands.

"What am I supposed to do?" He groaned aloud, "Take her to the hospital? She's about my age… they'll probably think that** I** was the one who beat her up."

Roxas laid himself down on the sofa and continued to dwell in his concern until he fell asleep. By the time he woke, sunlight seeped into the room and birds sang outside. The storm had passed.

Sitting up and yawning, Roxas threw a sleepy gaze at the clock sitting on the table beside him to discover it was nine in the morning. He was an hour late for school. Deciding he didn't care and that the girl currently unconscious upstairs was more important, he stood up, stretched, and when to go check on her.

He tapped gently on the door, before slowly entering the room. The girl was still asleep, but instead of lying on her back she was now curled into a ball on her side. Roxas silently walked over to her and watched as her face twisted into painful expressions.

She must have been having a nightmare.

Without really thinking, Roxas gently reached over and placed his hand on hers. He'd only done it as an attempt to relax her, but as soon as their skin made contact her eyes shot open and she practically threw herself out of the bed and against the wall on the other side of the room. Large, violet eyes watched Roxas with such resentment that Roxas squirmed under the gaze. The girls' hair had dried now, and Roxas saw that it was a deep red colour and fell messily around her shoulders. He stood like a statue and watched her with a blank expression, hiding his concern.

"Who are you?" The girl hissed in a voice that was dripping with venom. Roxas watched her eyes dart quickly around the room before falling back on him. "And where am I?"

"I'm Roxas. This is my house." He replied calmly, despite how fast his heart was racing. The girl looked like she wanted to stab him. More than once. "You might want to be careful; you've got a lot of nasty wounds, and moving around too much is gonna hurt."

The girl glared, although Roxas didn't fail to see the fear behind her ferocity. She eyed him warily. "…Why am I here?"

"Because you asked me to help you, so I did."

"Ridiculous. I don't even know who you are, why would I ask you for help? Help with _what_, anyway?"

Roxas began to feel slightly irritated at the interrogation he was receiving. "How am I supposed to know?" He snapped, meeting her cold glare with one of his own, "I wasn't **expecting** you to run into me and pass out! I just figured that I should take you out of the rain! If I'd have known that I'd be treated like a _criminal_ for it, I wouldn't have **bothered**!"

The girls' mouth opened, only to shut again as her fierce look gave way to confusion and worry. She stood up straight, leaving her defensive position against the wall, only to let out a whimper of pain and have her feet give way. Roxas was there before she could fall to the floor, one arm around her waist to support her. Pretty eyes stared up at him like a rabbit caught in headlights.

"I did _tell_ you to be careful," He sighed, carefully walking her back to the bed where he sat her down. He let out a small groan as he collapsed beside her, ignoring her wide, lost gaze that was fixed on his face as he closed his eyes. A few seconds of peaceful silence passed before he heard her speak, all the fire in the voice gone.

"...I'm all bandaged up."

Roxas grunted and opened one eyes to see her with her shirt up, staring down in wonder at the handiwork that Roxas had done the night before. Now that the wounds were out of sight, he felt his cheeks flush as his gaze was immediately drawn to the surprisingly curvy figure of the girl and the amount of cleavage that he could see from the angle he was laying at. It took him less than a second to shoot up and pull her shirt back over her body, rewarding him with a shocked expression plastered on the girls face.

"Let's just keep that shirt **covering** your body for the mean time." Roxas said weakly, smiling at the girl as her eyes narrowed suspiciously. He coughed, changing the subject. "So what's your name, anyway?"

The girl stayed silent for a few seconds, as though wondering whether to trust him, before answering.

"Kairi."

"Well, Kairi, are you hungry?"

Kairi didn't say anything, but almost on cue the silence was shattered by a growl erupting from her stomach. Roxas smirked slightly as light pink settled across her face.

"I'll… take that as a yes."

Standing up off the bed and stretching, Roxas headed for the Kitchen. He was aware that small, bare feet were quietly padding along behind him, and he smiled to himself. It was good to have some company for once. Once in the kitchen, Roxas went to work on breakfast. He grabbed some bread and shoved it in the toaster, before pouring two glasses of orange juice and handing one to Kairi. She stared at it with a frown as Roxas downed his own. He watched her for a moment.

"You… **know** what orange juice is… right?" He asked slowly. He face-palmed when she shook her head, her eyes large with wonder as she observed the orange liquid. "It's… It's good stuff. Just drink it." He sighed, and watched her take a small sip. Immediately a small smile stretched across her lips and she drank more. Roxas couldn't help but chuckle to himself at her reaction.

The smell of burning reached his nose, and Roxas turned to see smoke rising from the toaster. "Shit." He quickly walked over and bashed the appliance with his fist, making the toast pop out. It was black. Roxas was about to break the stupid toaster for burning their breakfast when a small hand touched his elbow. He turned to see Kairi, still clinging to her orange juice, looking at the toast with what looked like a smirk on her face.

"If you want… I'll make breakfast. It might be better – not to mention safer – for the both of us." She said quietly. Roxas narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, '_safer_'?"

Kairi pointed at the black squares on the counter.

"I don't know what **that **is, but it's **not** toast."

Roxas felt his hard face give way to a grin. He sighed dramatically. "Fine, _tease_ me and my **amazing** skills in the kitchen. _Clearly_ you're jealous. There aren't many who can produce **charcoal** from bread."

Then, to Roxas' amazement, Kairi laughed.

She actually laughed.

It was only slight, but it was enough to make Roxas' stomach knot up all over again.

Unaware of his awe-struck face, Kairi began rummaging through the cupboards and pulling out random ingredients. Roxas managed to snap himself out of his daze and sat at the table, watching her as she cracked eggs into a saucepan and placed sausages and bacon alongside them. After a few minutes, she spoke.

"So, Roxas… last night, when I ran into you… was there, uh, anyone else around?" She asked timidly, her voice slightly off as she asked the question. Roxas frowned. "No. It was a pretty bad storm, so I doubt anyone was out. Now that the subjects been brought up, what were **you** doing out, anyway?"

He still hadn't gathered the courage to ask her about all her injuries.

"Oh!" She said, turning over the sausages. "I was just going to the shops for some stuff." Roxas scoffed, feeling slightly irritated that she was lying to him after he'd just practically saved her life. "Right. Because people_ always _go shopping in thunderstorms **with bare feet**." He said, watching Kairi as she froze momentarily before continuing.

"Really? Bare feet? I didn't notice. I don't really like storms, so I guess I was just in such a hurry that I forgot to put shoes on." Her voice said lightly, her back still facing Roxas' disbelieving expression. He raised an eyebrow. "You were definitely in a hurry, but was it really because you needed to get to the shops?"

"Yes."

It was sudden, and Roxas didn't really know what happened, but his body moved on its own and before he knew it he was standing right behind Kairi with one arm around her waist and the other in her hair, gently playing with random strands of red as he pulled her against him. She let out a gasp and the breakfast was temporarily forgotten as her cheeks flushed considerably. Roxas could feel her heart double in speed and smirked. His eyes had darkened.

"Who were you running from?" He asked quietly, his head tilted down so that his breath tickled her ear and sent shivers down her spine. Roxas wasn't sure what had come over him, but the electricity that was ripping through him was incredible. He'd lost control of his body. Kairi took a shaky breath. "I wasn't-"

Roxas pulled her closer and was rewarded with another gasp and a slight whimper from the red head as he pulled a little on her hair. The sound did unimaginable things to him. "I said," He growled seductively, "who were you running from?"

Kairi's skin grew considerably warmer and Roxas felt another shiver shoot down her spine.

"He- I couldn't-"

All of a sudden the phone rang, and Roxas felt himself regain control as he quickly let go of Kairi and felt himself shake violently. What the hell just happened to him? Kairi, too, was as red as her hair and shaky from the ordeal. Running a hand through his already messy blonde hair, Roxas quickly turned and headed for the phone, leaving Kairi standing in the kitchen with a dozen emotions carved into her face.

Roxas shook his head as he walked away. Whatever had just happened, he lost control and basically harassed a girl who he'd only just met,

And quite frankly, it scared the **fuck** out of him.

Pushing his thoughts to the back of him mind, he picked up the phone and discovered that it was his school, asking where the hell he was.

"I-I'm… uh… ill?" Roxas said weakly, before coughing dramatically. He could hear the woman on the phone sighing with disbelief, but she went along with his bad acting anyway. After a few minutes of sorting out his absence for the day, Roxas heard a click as the woman from the school's office put the phone down and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Breakfast is ready!"

Swallowing the previous incident, Roxas plastered a smile on his face and returned to the kitchen, finding the most appetising breakfast he'd seen in a while waiting for him. Kairi was clearly pretending that nothing had happened either – although her cheeks were still slightly pink behind all the plasters – and both ate whilst making polite conversation.

Regardless of all the laughing and smiling that passed between the pair, a lot was starting to trouble Roxas.

_What had happened to Kairi?_

_And __**why was he losing control**__?_


	2. Chapter 2

"Kairi, if you'd so kindly remove your **foot** from my **face**, I'd rather appreciate it."

It had been two weeks since the storm, and Kairi had stuck to Roxas like glue the entire time. He'd offered to take her home after she'd been with him for a few days, but the idea seemed to horrify her and she'd refused thoroughly. Her reaction made Roxas decide not to bring the subject up again.

And so it was that on a beautiful Sunday morning, fourteen days after the pair first collided on the street, Kairi had stepped on Roxas' face with rather brutal force.

"R-ROXAS? I'm **so** sorry!" Kairi gasped, clamping her hands over her mouth. "Are you okay?"

"Kairi, your foot is STILL planted in my face."

The odd situation had occurred when Roxas had fallen off the sofa in his sleep. Kairi, being the early riser that she was, hadn't noticed his body on the floor as she walked towards the kitchen and-

Well, you get the picture.

Finally, Kairi got off him and knelt beside him with a horrified expression. "Did I break anything? Does it hurt? Do you-"

"I'm _fine_, stop worrying. You probably couldn't do much damage to anyone if you **tried**." Roxas smirked, sitting up and stretching. Kairi reddened as she pretended to look offended.

"I suggest you don't insult me if you want to eat this morning." She said, before her face cracked into a grin. Roxas laughed. Her once battered, broken face had completely healed, leaving her stunningly beautiful. The only indication that she'd been wounded at all was a pale, barely noticeable scar next to her left eye where the deepest cut had been. Her body, too, was no longer riddled with injuries. A few small cuts were still healing, but the worst of it was over.

"I could easily just make my own breakfast." Roxas mused. Kairi's expression made it seem as though simply the idea of it was hilarious. Roxas pretended to frown.

"What's wrong with the food I make?"

"It's not edible."

"H-HEY!"

And so, like every morning the pair had been together, they continued to bicker in a friendly manner as breakfast was served. As Roxas began to dig in to the cooked breakfast, his mind began to wander on the incident that had happened the first time they'd had eaten together.

For the last two weeks Roxas hadn't so much as given Kairi a hug. There had been times when he knew that she needed one, but the fear that he might lose control again and end up doing something he'd regret had scared him into refusing any and all physical contact with the red head. She hadn't said anything, but he knew she was suspicious.

"So Kairi," Roxas said, trying to clear his head, "You're starting school tomorrow."

Kairi nodded with a smile that could easily out-shine the sun that threw its rays inside the small kitchen. "Yeah. I'm kind of nervous."

As it had become clear that Kairi was not going to return to wherever 'home' was, it had been arranged that she was to attend Roxas' school. Two girl's uniforms had been sent in the post for her. Yawning, Roxas finished the last of his food and stretched.

"**Right**. Today, _you_," Roxas pointed a finger at Kairi's surprised face, "And _me_," He pointed at himself, "Are going to go buy you some stuff for school."

"…Like what? I already have a uniform; I have **two**, in fact. What else do I need?"

Roxas smiled. "Pens, pencils, books, _more_ books, a bag to put it all in… the list goes on."

Kairi laughed. "I didn't think about that. Okay, I'll go get washed and dressed then."

Roxas watched her take the plates and put them in the sink, before walking out the room. He sat still until he heard the shower upstairs start, then got out of his seat and stretched once more.

The door bell went.

"Who the _hell_ is outside this early on a Sunday morning?" Roxas groaned, wandering to the door before unlocking and opening it.

The first thing he noticed was the smell.

A stench that could only be explained as alcohol, piss and sweat hit Roxas like a tonne of bricks, making him gag. The man standing in front of him was large in both height and weight, and glared at Roxas with blood-shot eyes. He didn't look like he'd had a good wash in about year. Maybe longer.

"Can I help you…?" Roxas asked, trying to avoid the urge to hold his nose. The man reached down and scratched his balls, before belching loudly.

_Lovely_, Roxas thought sarcastically. _That's just what I wanted to see this fine morning_.

"'Ave you seen a girl around 'ere?" The man grumbled in a thick voice. His breath added to the smell, making Roxas oh-so-very aware that he'd been drinking – and that he hadn't brushed his teeth in far too long.

"I've seen plenty. Why?" Roxas asked dully, not bothering to act polite to the man standing on his doorstep. The man snarled.

"Don't get cocky with me, boy." He hissed, leaning in. Roxas took a step back to escape the invasion. "I'm lookin' for someone."

"What does she look like?"

There was a bad feeling in Roxas' gut, like he knew the answer.

"Red 'air… Small... Kinda pathetic lookin'." The man grumbled. Roxas felt a flash of sudden anger in him as he replayed what the man had just said in his mind.

_Was it this guy who…? Kairi's injuries…_

"Oi." The man hissed, "Don't waste my time. 'Ave you seen her or not?"

Roxas decided to play dangerously.

"You know… I think I did see her! Two weeks ago, right?" He asked. The man grinned, and Roxas flinched as he saw the yellow teeth and the black gums.

"Right." He agreed. Roxas decided to humour the man.

"She… I think she was injured…?" He said lightly, hoping to get information out of the guy. If he was the one who'd hurt Kairi, then he'd know about her wounds.

The mans grin turned into a smirk that made Roxas' blood go cold.

"Damn right, too, the fuckin' **bitch**. She got what she deserved. If she weren't so fuckin' quick on 'er feet I woulda been able to do some _more_ damage."

As fast as Roxas' blood had chilled, it raged back with such fire that he felt like he would burst. His eyes narrowed at the man, and visa versa.

"Say," The man snarled, "You remember an awful lot about summin' that happened two weeks ago. You're not… _hidin'_ anythin' from me, are ya boy…?"

Regardless of how much he wanted to punch the man, Roxas knew it was a fight he'd lose. He shook his head slowly, his expression cold, before saying, "No, I just remember because I was worried about her. She looked really badly hurt. Anyway… if you're looking for her, she went that way," Roxas pointed down the street, "although since it's been two whole weeks I doubt she'll still be around here. Someone probably took her to hospital."

The man glanced where Roxas had pointed with a mean look on his face.

"If yer lyin' to me, boy…" He said darkly. Roxas glared at the man. "I'm **not**."

The man regarded him once more before growling. "I s'pose it's the only lead I have. But if I find out yer lyin', I'm comin' back and you'll **lose** those pretty eyes of yours."

Roxas watched the man turn and walk down the path, before shutting the door and locking it. Taking a deep, shaky breath, he turned on his heel and looked up the stairs. The shower had stopped.

"KAIRI?" He called.

The red head appeared, her hair still wet, wearing nothing but a towel. Roxas covered his eyes immediately and felt his cheeks heat up.

"What's wrong, Roxas?"

"I-It can wait, just put some **clothes** on!"

He heard a sigh, followed by the padding of feet and his bedroom door shutting. Roxas groaned and pulled a hand through his hair.

_If I see her wearing just a towel I might lose control again…_

A few minutes passed, and Kairi appeared once more in a pink summer dress, her hair still damp. They'd gone clothes shopping for her a few days after it was clear she was staying.

"Right, what did you need?" She asked. Roxas beckoned her to follow, before walking into the living room and sitting down on the sofa where he'd been sleeping for the last fourteen days. Kairi, seeing Roxas' concerned expression, sat down and waited quietly for him to speak.

Roxas decided to just say it and wait to see how she reacted.

"A man was at the door a while ago. He was asking about you."

The blood drained from Kairi's face immediately and Roxas watched her start to tremble.

"R-Really?" She asked, plastering the fakest smile Roxas had ever seen on her face, "Why was he looking for me? How strange. Maybe he-"

"Why are you lying to me?"

Kairi turned her startled eyes up at Roxas to see him glaring at her. If looks could kill…

"What do you mean?"

Roxas let out an irritated breath.

"I _know_ he was the one who beat you up. Who is he?"

Kairi stared at Roxas for what felt like forever, her violet gaze beginning to waver, before she looked down at her hands with a sigh.

"That was my dad."

Wait… WHAT?

Roxas hadn't expected **that** to come out of her mouth.

"Hang on… that was your _dad_? Your own **father** beat you up?"

Kairi frowned at Roxas. "Yeah. Don't act so surprised, it isn't _that_ uncommon. I know it doesn't happen **often**, and usually the kid is removed from the family before any real damage can be done, but don't even **think** about judging me based on my mess-up of a family!"

Roxas stared blankly as Kairi vented at him. Clearly, he'd touched a sensitive subject. He coughed, trying to cover up the mistake.

"It's… It's just that… I didn't realise it happened. I mean, I see stuff like that on TV all the time; it just never occurred to me that fathers would beat their children in real life. I guess I just thought that… that everyone had a family like mine."

Kairi sat up straighter, her eyes burning holes into Roxas.

"Speaking of which, where are they?"

"Huh?"

"I've been wondering for a while now. You… live all alone here. Where are your family?"

Roxas stared back at her in surprise, before shrugging his shoulders and looking away awkwardly.

"My dad and my brother live in America, and my mum is abroad working."

Kairi widened her eyes.

"You have a _brother_?"

"Yeah… a twin brother, actually. His name's Sora. Him and dad come and visit every few months, so if you stick around then you can probably meet him."

Kairi smiled. "I'd like that." Then, both keen to get off the subject, they stood and nodded at one another. "Right, now that that's all been cleared up I'm gonna go and get ready," Roxas said firmly.

"I'll go and do the dishes before we leave," Kairi replied.

* * *

"Wow! I've never been in the town centre before… it's **huge**!" Kairi laughed, spinning in circles and making her dress twirl around her sculpted legs. Roxas saw several boys watching her and felt himself scowl as he knew exactly what they were thinking.

"Come on, Kairi; let's go get something to eat." He said quickly. He reached out to grab her hand but realised what he was doing and hid the movement as he walked towards the ice cream shop. He couldn't touch her. Who knew what would happen?

No sooner had he taken a step into the shop, a hand flew down and hit him on the shoulder.

"Roxy, long time no see! Where have you _been_ these last two weeks, man?" Asked Axel with a grin plastered on his face. Roxas grinned back.

"Miss me, Axel?" He asked. Axel laughed. "Of course I did! Where would I be without my best buddy?" His attention went to Kairi, who stood timidly behind Roxas. He raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Roxy… who's your friend?"

Roxas sighed, knowing where this was going. "She's off limits, so whatever you're thinking, **stop**." Axel's mouth twisted into a smirk. "_Protective_, are we?"

Roxas rolled his eyes before grinning and giving Axel a shove. He turned to Kairi.

"Is there anything in particular that you want?"

A troubled expression crossed her face, before she said quietly, "I've… I've never actually had ice cream before."

The looks on Roxas' and Axels faces were priceless.

"Roxas, where did you _find_ her? A _cave_? Come on, I'll buy you both some Sea Salt Ice Cream. Don't worry about paying me back, Roxy, I simply **refuse** the idea of a girl as pretty as her not knowing what ice cream tastes like."

The ice creams were bought, and Roxas and Axel laughed as Kairi's face practically glowed when she tasted hers. Axel turned to Roxas with a sigh.

"It was good to see ya, but I kind of have to go. Got stuff to do… you know how it is. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow, won't I?"

"Yeah," Roxas said, nodding, "And Kairi too."

Axel grinned, winked at Kairi and walked away. Kairi turned to Roxas and smiled. "He was nice."

"Yeah… he is." Roxas said. He watched his friend walk into the distance before turning to Kairi. "Right! Big day tomorrow… we should probably head home."

"Yeah… we probably should."


End file.
